Wednesday, October 15, 2014

(News) Argyll Arcade heist security guard gets pay docked

Louie Bee Note: This proves that no matter where in the world you do security, it doesn't pay to play hero.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/argyll-arcade-heist-security-guard-gets-pay-docked-1-3565110

A SECURITY guard who tried to stop armed robbers in a Glasgow shopping centre has had his wages withheld after being signed off from work for a fortnight by his doctor.

Employers GMB have agreed to cover George Ferrier’s statutory sick pay - but not his wages. Mr Ferrier, 56, was set upon by thieves carrying baseball bats and axes as he tried to prevent their escape from the upmarket retail district off Buchanan Street on September 14.

The security guard sustained multiple injuries to his legs from being struck by a baseball bat as he guided staff to safety. Mr Ferrier was forced to eventually let the robbers pass after they ran at him with axes.

Mr Ferrier told the Daily Record that he was “disappointed” with the way his employers had treated him, accusing them of not caring about his health and well-being after the attack.

After being told to rest for two weeks by his doctor, Mr Ferrier discovered that GMB would only pay him £87.55 a week - a sum only paid out once an employee has been off for four days in a row.


He said: “I’ve had a lot of really nice feedback but the work has been keen to get me back as quickly as possible. If they think I should be getting just sick pay after what’s happened, that’s up to them - but it doesn’t seem right to me. I’m disappointed in them.”

Security Guards Stop Fucking with Skaters

Friday, October 3, 2014

Apple Store Guards Stage Sit-In Demanding Higher Wages

Silicon Valley's top tech firms are infamous for paying their help borderline-poverty wages, including private security. Today, some of Apple's retail and corporate guards protested their low pay at the company's flagship shop in San Francisco.


According to multiple protesters and reporters, tweeting under the hashtag #TechCanDoBetter, contractors organized by the SEIU labor union staged a sit-in at the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco. Holding signs reading "Invisible No More" and "Opportunity for All Our Communities," the protesters peacefully occupied the store for over an hour before a confrontation with police.



As it became clear Apple employees were going to "wait the protesters out," the contractors allegedly decided to block the doors to the store. Police officers then declared the demonstration illegal, and then arrested a dozen of the protesters.

Read more at http://valleywag.gawker.com/tech-security-contractors-arrested-after-demanding-high-1628155044

Google Shamed Into Paying Their Security Guards a Living Wage

Kevin Montgomery
http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-shamed-into-paying-their-security-guards-a-livin-1642110689/+laceydonohue

For years, companies like Google and Apple have outsourced their security operations, ensuring their campus guards take home low wages while programmers earn top dollar. But following worker protests and unfavorable media coverage, the search giant has announced it's dropping its security contractor and bringing the Googleplex guards in-house.

Google will be hiring 200 guards to protect its Northern California offices when its contract with Security Industry Specialists ends November 1st. The company says it will focus on employing those workers full-time, the Mountain View Voice reports.

"Building an in-house security team is something we are excited to do," said a Google spokesperson in a statement. "This is a process we started over a year ago and are looking forward to making these valued positions both full- and part-time Google employees. We value the work of the security professionals who keep our campuses safe and making sure they're well-taken care of is very important to us."

The Service Employees International Union, which has 40,000 security guard members nationwide, held a protest of SIS at Google headquarters in June of 2013. SEIU conducted a survey that found that 80 percent of Google's SIS security guards were only offered part-time work. One of them was Manny Cardenas, who told the Voice that despite his $16 an hour pay, he was sometimes scheduled only one day a week and took home only $1,000 a month in pay, with no health benefits for himself or his daughter.